goof
/ɡuːf/ noun, verb
Forms goofs goofing goofed
- noun (US, informal) A mistake or error. “I made a goof in that last calculation.”
- noun (US, cinematography, informal) An error made during production which finds its way into the final release.
- noun (US, Canada, MTE, informal) A foolish and/or silly person; a goofball. “Your little brother is a total goof.”
- noun (Canada, prison slang) A rapist.
- verb (US) To make a mistake. “It's my fault. I goofed.”
- verb (US) To engage in mischief. “We were just goofing by painting the neighbor's cat green.”
Synonyms
blooper boo-boo error faux pas fluff gaffe lapse mistake slip stumble thinko aberration bloomer blunder boner break clanger cock-up disadventure fault fathead goofball bozo jackass goose cuckoo twat zany clown buffoon
Etymology
Perhaps from dialectal English goff (“foolish clown”), from earlier goffe, in which case further etymology is uncertain.
Perhaps from Middle English goffen (“to speak in a frivolous manner”), possibly from Old English gaf, ġegaf (“base; wanton; lewd”, adjective), ġegaf (“buffoonery; scurrility”, noun), gaffetung, golfettung (“buffoonery; mockery”). Compare English dialectal gauffin (“lightheaded; foolish; giddy”), Scots gaff, gawf (“to talk loudly; babble”), Scots gaffaw (“a loud laugh”).
Alternatively, perhaps from Middle French goffe (“awkward; stupid”). Compare also Spanish gofo, Italian goffo.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “goof”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details